Herdwick
/ˈhəːdwɪk
/noun
A sheep of a hardy mountain breed from the north of England.For a start, hardy breeds like Herdwicks don't have as many lambs as their lowland counterparts....
- Breeds such as Herdwicks, Lonks, Rough Fells and Dalesbred exist in large numbers and are commercially farmed, but nevertheless are threatened to extinction when a disease such as foot-and-mouth hits their homelands.
- Their first target in the race against time is the Herdwick breed of sheep which are nearly all in the Lake District.
Origin
Early 19th century: from (now obsolete) herdwick 'pasture ground' (see herd, wick2), perhaps because this breed originated in the pasture grounds of Furness Abbey.